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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: squash · deal · straw · march · land · hand · hide · wax

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. squash — to crush
  5. deal — to handle
  6. land — a country
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. wax — to grow
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. march — music
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. land — to come down
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. march — the month
  19. land — ground
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. march — the month
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. squash — the sport
  24. hand — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com